In Memory of MHS Students Killed in World War ll

Whitney Houston famously sang, "I believe that children are our future," and Mamaroneck High School students Patricia Cassidy and Max Gude proved the lyrics true during a reading of their winning essays in the Richard Kemper Memorial essay contest.  

Established 10 years ago, the contest is held in memory of Richard Kemper and 98 other former Mamaroneck High School students who were killed in World War ll and whose names appear on the monument in Richard Kemper Memorial Park, located just outside of the high school. The event is sponsored by the non-profit Richard Kemper Foundation for Promoting Human Rights Education.   It is the foundation's goal to motivate students to apply their knowledge, analytical skills, and creativity in the search for solutions to the most important human rights problems we face today. 

This year's award recipients read their pieces in an afternoon ceremony attended by Superintendent of Schools Dr. Paul Fried; Mamaroneck High School Principal Dr. Mark Orfinger; Westchester County Legislator Judy Myers; Paul and Richard Cantor, nephews of Richard Kemper; World War ll veteran  Anthony Marsella ; and other guests.

Following opening remarks by Mary Cronin, social studies teacher and mistress of ceremonies, Fried, Orfinger and Cantor, the spotlight shone on Cassidy and Gude.

Cassidy's essay responds to the question, "Is America Honoring Her Veterans," and her answer is "...a debatable yes."  She then quickly addresses another issue, "If, however, the question is, 'Are we honoring them enough?' the answer has to be an embarrassing 'no.'"  Cassidy believes that "America can only be said to honor her veterans when, as a country, we fully recognize what veterans have actually given us – the ability to exist as a nation."

Max Gude's topic challenged the student to explain the relevancy of President Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech in today's world.  What's that you say? You have no idea what the Four Freedoms speech is? Consider it your homework for today. Gude already did his. His essay, entitled "The Many Faces of Freedom," explains that World War II "…was a battle to preserve that which makes human life meaningful, the will to be free."  In his essay, Gude concludes that the general idea of freedom rests on these four pillars.

This year's winners will receive a $250 award from the non-profit Richard Kemper Foundation and a book related to the students selected topic.  For the second time in the history of the contest, an art contest was added for posters that were drawn to promote the contest. The art contest was won by Elizabeth Goodspeed and carried a $100 award.  Her two winning submissions were a pencil and watercolor portrait of a sailor and a poster reminiscent of Joe Rosenthal's Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.  Goodspeed explained, "When I heard about the contest I quickly drew the first one [flag raising].  It took me a while because I did all of the lettering by hand"—an impressive feat in a computerized world that offers thousands of fonts with the click of a mouse. Her second entry took about the same amount of time to design.

The reading of the essays was followed by a flag raising ceremony and the playing of taps in front of the monument.  The flag was presented by veteran Masella, who received it in 1949 when his brother, also a veteran, was laid to rest.  Cronin, Masella, and Maryanne Cantor then led the crowd in the singing of "God Bless America."

This ceremony was one of two that will be held in honor of Richard Kemper in Mamaroneck. The second will be a traditional Memorial Day ceremony held at Richard Kemper Park on Sunday, May 30 at 11 a.m.